It’s said that putting the insides of a pumpkin down your drain—whether you have a garbage disposal or not—is bad for your plumbing, as the stringy stuff gets caught and dries in your pipes, causing clogging.

Plus who wants to be wasteful?

Here are 5 cool things to do with leftover pumpkin carving scraps:

photo courtesy Ian Burt

1) Roast the Seeds.

Separate the seeds from the other junk and rinse. Place on an oiled baking sheet in a single layer. Sprinkle with salt and bake in a preheated 325 degree oven until toasted (about 25 minutes), stir after ten minutes.

Flavor your own way:

*chili powder and cumin

*Italian seasoning

*garlic salt

*cinnamon and sugar

*Worcestershire sauce

2) Kid’s Toys.

Kids love slime and what’s better than organic slime? Mix it with some fake blood to create guts that can be used as part of a costume or just to play with.

Need red dye for your fake blood recipe? Try beet powder + water.

3) Bird Food or Compost.

If you really aren’t in the mood to mess with the insides you can feed the goo to the birds and/or add it to your compost pile. Bigger birds should be able to handle the seeds, but if you want to be super nice, roast them all up for them (do not add salt). The “meat” of the pumpkin can also be fed to the birds, for added nutritional value.

4) Puree.

For baking pie, cakes, cookies; for cooking soups; for making punch.

Most websites suggest not to use a regular jack-o-lantern pumpkin to make puree but to buy a sweet pumpkin instead (smaller and harder to find). I say there is no harm in trying it out if you already got it—but be forewarned.

To cook fresh pulp, remove the seeds and strings from a pumpkin shell and cut it into chunks. Bake the pieces, covered with foil, on a greased cookie sheet at 425 degrees for about 45 minutes. Remove from the oven, peel off the skin and puree the pumpkin meat in a food processor.

5) Decorations.

Use the goo to add slime and scary stuff to your Halloween décor. Can be used in haunted houses or to make the ever popular puking pumpkin.

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About
Krystal Baugher

Krystal Baugher lives in Denver. She earned her MA in Writing and Publishing and her MA in Women and Gender Studies from DePaul University/Chicago. She is the creator of Mile High Mating, a website dedicated to helping people "do it" in Denver and beyond.
You can find her on facebook and twitter (as long as you aren’t a stalker).

[…] Garbage disposals are no doubt useful for most food waste, but pumpkin guts aren’t one of them. Save your garbage disposal and avoid kitchen clogs by opting for roasting the seeds and making soups or dessert out of the pulp, or come up with your own creative ideas on getting the most out of pumpkin scraps. […]

[…] the angel within with this healthy meal for you and the one you love. After you’ve spent time hollowing out those pumpkins, why not get down to preparing a romantic candle lit meal for two? This gives you a chance to get […]

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